Abstracted by Sheila Kun RN, BA, BSN, MS

We have discussed gum and cavities problems. This week, let us cover 3 areas in dentistry: devitalization, dental implant and oral cancer. I have been gathering information for you from my friend Dr. Lucas Naccache and posting from the CDC. 

From Dr. Lucas Naccache – Lyon – France »

Devitalization: 

If the decay is too close to the nerve of the tooth, then the tooth must either be devitalized. The root canal treatment or more commonly devitalization is a dental treatment that preserves the tooth from a possible extraction and consists in the removal of the dental pulp or the part of tissue that is located in the center of the tooth.

Devitalization is a highly technical and complex act.

Some teeth can become infected after being devitalized. This may be due to insufficient treatment, or a technical or anatomical difficulty of said tooth. 

Intra-bone dental implants:

These are hollow screws made of titanium or titanium alloy or zirconia. The internal cavities allow to introduce threads in which screws will stabilize unitary or plural supra-structures. Some implants, however, have an internal Morse cone connection.

The Morse cone is a friction cone that was invented in 1860 by Stephen Ambrose Morse. It is this type of connection that holds the wheels of the Formula 1 cars.

All the procedures related to implant technology are represented by bone or gingival grafts or, most often, both combined.

Oral Cancer (from CDC)

In 2016, there were nearly 45,000 new cases of cancer of the oral cavity and pharynx diagnosed in the United States and more than 10,000 deaths. The 5-year survival rate for these cancers is about 61 percent. The mortality rate from oral cancer is nearly three times as high in males as it is in females (4 vs 1.4 for every 100,000 people) and nearly twice as high in white and black populations as it is in Hispanic population (2.6 vs. 1.5 for every 100,000 people).⁶ Preventing high risk behaviors, that include cigarette, cigar or pipe smoking, use of smokeless tobacco, and excessive use of alcohol are critical in preventing oral cancers. Early detection is key to increasing the survival rate for these cancers.

Oral Human Papilloma Virus (HPV), the most common sexually transmitted disease, can cause cancers in the back of the throat, called “oropharyngeal cancers.” More research is needed to determine whether HPV itself causes oropharyngeal cancers, or if other factors (such as smoking or chewing tobacco) interact with HPV to cause these cancers.

Dentistry is today a complex and extremely demanding discipline. It requires continuous learning, because it is extremely evolutionary.

Much remains to be done, in particular, in the understanding of teeth, gums, bone, implants.

Your homework from the Care Ministry this week: hope you will review the article and have a deeper understanding of devitalization, dental implant and oral cancer. 

Love to hear from you: kunlouis@gmail.com